Because creativity, it’s just so much — it’s so inwardly focused. And I find that it’s so helpful to be pulled out of that system, otherwise I can just drown in myself. [Having a day job] means you can just make whatever you want to make. And what’s more independent than that? What I’m talking about is a problem of success, but we need to make sure that it’s not taboo to talk about the problems of success if we want to be successful. If we want ourselves and other people to be successful, we need to address the problems on the other side as well. I don’t want to drown in other people’s expectations. My own are hard enough. If what you make goes anywhere, it’s because other people carried it.

This past week, when I wrote my latest newsletter, the rut had been filled, and the words flowed out of me like the days that taught me how to love writing. There’s that Rilke quote, “if your everyday life seems poor, don’t blame it; blame yourself; admit to yourself that you are not enough of a poet to call forth its riches.” When I read it recently, it felt accusatory, but with time, I realized that I’d lost some sense of curiosity, the wow-have-you-seen-this-shit-this-is-so-cool lens that fuels all good art.

What Stan needs to realize is that a disciplined approach to making things is just one part of the puzzle. The other part is about simply living his life, and having the freedom to explore his surroundings and interests.

Imagine the pressure of having to top each successful thing you do. This thinking assumes that you must be constantly on top, not only against your peers but also against your past self. Even worse, this thinking assumes that if you cannot win then you must stop playing. But what about the joy of learning, the quiet glory of just making things and sharing them without expectation? No, when your time is up you’re free to go. At the end of the day, the only thing perfect is a blank page, I think there is something inside me and I want to find it.

Shit sucks sometimes but it is pretty cool to be alive in NYC right now, seems like everyone I meet is pouring their hearts and souls into music, photography, or a new business idea, and it’s special to see how careers grow and friends help each other along the way. I am frustrated with myself beca

please make more creative tools that 1) are not controlled by a publicly traded entity, 2) can be owned and used indefinitely instead of rented. artists having to rent their tools concentrates capital and ensures only certain people can create, concentrating *cultural* capital.

Whenever I speak with anyone new to a medium and insecure about their work, I think about this passage from David Byrne's "How Music Works," about how capitalism devalues amateur expression to encourage consumption. pic.twitter.com/B5fr3jNMS5— Kevin Snow (@bravemule) March 6, 2019

I think cooking for yourself is one of the simplest ways to create without any pressure for validation. Additionally, unlike art / design, cooking is ephemeral. No matter how good or how bad it is, it'll always disappear, either in your stomach or the trash.— flex luthor (@kwuchu) February 23, 2019

“you can end up in this place where you don't want to engage with any of it, to talk about how burnout affects people creatively." - @erikhane @printrunpodcast https://t.co/wuJvLflFE1”

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about materials. Obviously, a painter’s material is paint, a sculptor’s material is bronze or clay. But what of the other, more abstract arts? For example, a stand-up comedian will refer to her material. What, exactly, is that material? Jokes? Stories? What is a writer’s material? Here’s Annie Dillard: A well-known

The event will take place in February 2019, and the deadline to apply is November 8th. If you are interested, but can't make it to NYC, please fill out the "can't make it" form on our site as we'd love to hear from you: https://t.co/l4CQUiU1Ow— Gary Chou (@garychou) October 22, 2018

But I continue to think that artists — all artists — should be treasured as alarm systems.